My Winter 2016 Anime Watchlist

You’re probably wondering why I didn’t do a preview or anything. Well I had this month long job where I had to be out of the house 15+ hours a day. Try doing that for a month straight with no breaks, it’s a backbreaker. So I didn’t want to write anything at all. Hell, this blog was bare for a while right? Still didn’t finish posting stuff from last season. At least I can do a midway post.

Let’s start with my favorites from this season, Erased, Phantom World and Dimension W.

Erased (Boku Dake Ga Inai Machi) – It has time travel so of course I jumped in. The main character, Satoru, has the power to jump through time, one that he doesn’t realize he has until he jumps back several years. So Satoru tries to fix the things in the past that took some very important people from him.

Dimension W – This one will become the first broadcast dub to air on US TV since it’s going to be on Toonami as soon as Akame Ga Kill ends this week. In 2036, a 4th dimension is discovered and with it comes renewable energy. The energy is harvested into these reactors known as coils. Fast Forward to 2071 and a huge conglomerate New Tesla Energy corners the market which leads to illegal coils being made. This is here Kyoma comes in, he’s a “collector”. Collectors are out to collect illegal coils but he’s a throwback, he’s a progress hating loner who wants nothing to do with coils. One day he comes across Mira who an android powered by coils and the 2 end up becoming partners much to Kyoma’s dismay. I hope they don’t turn Mira into pervert bait. This one has a Cowboy Bebop feel to it if you ask me. Needs more than 12 episodes. I think I just wrote my preview/review for this already, just need to add some sauce and let it simmer.

Phantom World (Musaigen no Phantom World) – It’s from Kyoto so of course the quality is there. In a world where phantoms are now walking around freely, there are students tasked with getting rid of them or putting them at peace. The main character Haruhiko actually has a genie looking phantom who is always with him. Along with Mai (Seems to be this season’s hot girl), Reina, Koito, and Kurumi, Haruhiko and the girls find ways to make sure the phantoms are at peace. Wish I was a teenager in Japan if they fight phantoms, fly, ride in mechs and all that other stuff.

Active Raid (Kidou Kyoushuushitsu Dai Hakkei) – Unfortunately for this show, the most active part of it is it’s name. Don’t get me wrong, it does have SOME action but for a show that you expect to be an action show, it lacks something. They’re more negotiators than an Active Raid. I just haven’t been locked into this show.

Girls Beyond the Wasteland (Shoujo-tachi wa Kouya wo Mezasu) – This is one about writing a visual novel but it’s not too enjoyable. I think it’s the characters. It’s no Saekano.

Norn9: Norn+Nonet is one that I had no clue what the hell I was watching or why. It’s been duller than dull. 3 girls and 9 guys are locked in some biosphere like thing and have to get along or something. Most of them have superpowers and aren’t supposed to tell each other…just hard to really invest in. The end of episode 7 may have changed that. It had me sit up and say “Oh shit, did that just happen.” I have a feeling it will be a letdown next week though.

Dagashi Kashi is about Japanese candy basically. A beautiful girl, who seems nuts, from a rival candy company tries to get X to take over his father’s candy business. She seems to be doing this with the father’s blessing. This is in Broadcast Dubs. Another note about this show, maybe it’s just me but everyone looks cross-eyed.

Reikenzan: Hoshikuzu-tachi no Utage is now 5 episodes in and it’s just a bad fantasy show. They overuse super deformed in this day and age. Makes it feel almost like a 90s show. It’s a guy’s quest to become a great sage. In episode 5 you learn that the protagonist is 12 years old…WTF. The show is more adult than that for him to be 12. Then from episode 5 to 6, they magically jumped 2 years. Who the hell knows. Everyone in the show seems to be dumb too which is not fun to watch.

Snow White with the Red Hair is back for season 2 but the first season bored me after a few episodes. Maybe I’ll go back and watch from the beginning. The whole Snow White/Prince Charming type setting doesn’t really pull me in.

Cupid’s Chocolates (Aishen Qiaokeli Jinxingshi) – This one is a Chinese anime which is a harem and it’s not bad. You do have to get used to a few Chinese traditional things just like Japan but I would have thought it was just another from Japan if it wasn’t for the names. It’s an ONA that runs like 11 minutes each episode and I have no clue how many episodes it’ll be, they’re already up to 11.

Divine Gate – This show had a lot of promise but I feel they are trying to pack way too much into 12 episodes. The final few episodes will probably be better since it’s less of the intro stuff and more of the action. I kind of like the non traditional art style, cel shading and washed out colors but then in episode 7 it looks like they quit halfway with the heavy use of white. Just seems like too much intro stuff for a show that should be more action. Reminds me of Chaos Dragon in that regard. Several groups are trying to get to the Divine Gate so they can rewrite the world.

Please Tell Me Galko Chan (Oshiete Galko Chan) – Galko is a popular teenage girl with the looks, long hair, chest, class beauty, who is the focus of attention. Though she looks like the girl who doesn’t give anyone the time of day, she’s actually very good natured and caring. The show revolves around typical teenage stuff, include “time of the month” and she usually gets asked for opinions, etc. Otako (which is probably a play on otaku) is her short, frumpy, friend who is a corner dweller but somehow she’s friends with Galko. Otako, who looks like a grade school girl, likes playing tricks on Galko which she takes too seriously sometimes. Ojou is their rich girl airhead friend who REALLY doesn’t get much of anything. She’s comedy fodder. It’s a short show that runs about 7 minutes and has like 3 skits per episode.

Sekko Boys – I didn’t know what to think of this one. It’s about a talent manager who’s clients are…stone busts of gods. I kid you not. It’s stupid but sometimes funny. It’s another short one so I watch it since it won’t take much time from my life.

Ajin – This just seems to be the movie in long form. I only watched 2 episodes and backed out because I saw that already. Not saying it isn’t good but I’ve seen the movie.

GATE (Season 2) – GATE is just as good as it was last time, maybe even better since there’s less intro stuff. A lot of shows can’t carry their own weight and expectations into a second cour but this one does the job well. It starts off right where last season ended with the dark elf trying to get Itami to help her people with a red dragon.

Shouwa Genroku Rakugo Shinjuu – Not watching

Pandora of the Crimson Shell Ghost Urn (Koukaku no Pandora) – This show is bad. If they were trying to capitalize on Valkyrie Drive’s audacity then they failed HARD! To activate the powers of on of the androids, she reaches into the other android’s “box”, where she has to lift her skirt to access. Then there’s this other character that ends everything with “yeah” an is way beyond annoying. This show is also in Funimation’s Broadcast Dubs. It might be harder to find a show this season that isn’t in the dubs.

Heavy Object – Kind of still watching but it’s not what I expected. Going to switch over to the dubs on this one and start over since I’m a few weeks behind anyway.

Gundam Iron Blooded Children – Still watching but this show has some ups and downs. It’s going to be dubbed and I think it’s headed for Toonami in the near future. I thought it might get the spot that Dimension W has now.

Saijaku Muhai no Bahamut– This is just an okay action harem show.

Hai to Gensou no Grimgar – It’s hard to believe this show is only getting 12 episodes because it is incredibly slow. It’s like you dipped a snail in molasses. The beginning of the show has the protagonists dropped somewhere with no memory. It’s a fantasy world like an RPG so it would make in interestingly long term prospect but they’re at like episode 7 and they’re still not able to take on 3 of the weak enemies. This show is in dubs and I can see it being long term if they have plans for that but the pacing…ugh.

Phantasy Star Online 2 The Animation – Think they could have added any more words to the title? This one is just a show built around Phantasy Star 2 featuring high school kids. One kid gets tasked with learning how the game works basically. So he starts from character customization to learning how to join a party. It’s really to sell their game because it doesn’t deviate from that main line of story at all.

Dragon Ball Super – Finally they’re past the Return of F storyline. I think I would have rather watched it as a movie because there was a LOT of filler in there. I hope Frieza was more of a badass in the movie because it just didn’t have that anti-climatic feel.

World Trigger Fugitives – I wish they had more fighting and much less of the training episodes. So far it’s been mostly fighting but there are a few episodes of training. This is a storyline not from the manga so there’s no mention of how many episodes it will be. The first series was supposed to be 50 episodes but they cut it at 47 or 48 and jumped into this new one. The show still feels like it only runs like 15 minutes. It’s supposed to get an English dub at some point so I assume they’ll make it a really long term show like Fairy Tail, Naruto and the others unless something changes that along the way. It’s not often that a show gets 50 episodes from the start.

Bubuki Buranki – At first I wasn’t going to watch it because the art made them look like 5 year olds. For some reason they have shots that are taken from an underview that makes them look stubby. It’s an okay show and they are actually kids. Just some of the camera angles are awkward. Nothing spectacular, just a decent show.

Kono Subarashii Sekai ni Shukufuku wo! – This is a goofy haremish comedy in a fantasy setting. A boy goes before a “goddess” and gets one request of what he can take to the fantasy world with him. He ends up picking the “goddess” and she’s pretty much useless. Along the way he gets some useless party members who seem to all be comedy fodder. So far it’s up to episode 5 and hasn’t been good.

Assassination Classroom Season 2 – I watched the first 2 episodes which were kind of vanilla. I’m going to start on the dubs since it just started and I watched it dubbed the first time. The manga looks like it’s coming to an end so I assume these are the final 25 episodes.

Durarara x2 (2nd cour) – I need to go watch last season before I get started on this one.

Prince of Stride: Alternative – I don’t know why but I stopped watching. It wasn’t bad but I guess it wasn’t enough to keep my attention? Not sure. This is the first anime of the season and it’s also in Broadcast Dubs.

HaruChika: Haruta to Chika wa Seishun Suru – A show about a woodwind class or brass or some instruments…yeah it kept my attention that much. Seems to be a gay boy and a girl fighting over a male teacher ad they help people over their issues of the past so that they join the band. There is definitely a reason I usually bypass music shows.

Nijiiro Days – Not watching sparkling guys.

Schwarzesmarken – This comes from the Muv Luv universe but like the first season, it just doesn’t hit on all cylinders.

Ojisan to Marshmallow – Haven’t watched, no plans to.

Ooyasan wa Shishunki! – Short show. Some guy moves into an apartment with a little girl landlord. She’s actually 13 which is still little but she looks younger and this guy has to fight his urges??? It’s like the want guys to be pedophiles in Japan. By the way, the girl goes to the same school as Komori and her friends, they appear in episode 7.

Mahou Shoujo Nante Mou Ii Desukara. – Have not watched but looks similar to Nurse Witch Komugi-chan R. She becomes a magical girl but she is afraid to transform because she’s in a swimsuit.

Nurse Witch Komugi-chan R – Same creator as Komori Can’t Decline. A girl becomes a bad magical girl trying to work up the ladder. She has friends who have personality issues they try to hide. It’s…okay I guess.

Sushi Police – Bad show but since I like sushi I decided to try it. I may go back and watch it since it’s a short show.

Utawarerumono: Itsuwari no Kamen – Just like the first season, it’s slated for 25 episodes. It starts out the same but has a different storyline set in the future. Not sure how long in the future but it has a different origin story and I’m not sure if they mesh together. But it can’t be too long in the future since Kuon’s older sisters are the sisters from the first season.

Koyomimonogatari – Based on the most uninteresting character of the whole show. These are short episodes based around the perverted pedophile Koyomi. (Yes I said pedophile, you call it lolicon, I call it what I call it). These have the same qualities of the main series.

Momokuri – This show is planned to run 26 episodes. It’s about 10 minutes per episode and it’s about a girl who has a thing for a boy and seems to be stalking him. They’re kids so they don’t know better but she’s still a stalker.

Haikyuu!! Second Season – Watched like 2 episodes then stopped. I still haven’t watched the first season but looks like a show I will enjoy watching.